Apple successfully put the ‘antennagate’ controversy to sleep when it announced that it would provide all iPhone 4 owners with a free case. Judging by the number of uncovered iPhone 4s I see around London, not many users were that concerned. But even if you're not worried about reception woes, there are good reasons to grab …

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It's not out yet, but should be on the list...

The OtterBox Impact Series Silicone Case for Apple iPhone 4. It hasn't been released, but from the description it will provided maximum surface protection to the iPhone 4, but with minimum thickness to avoid making it bulky. I've been waiting weeks for the supplier to send it out, and it's been delayed a few times (who knows why), but it should do the trick once I get it.

Free bumpers

Griffin Elan Passport Wallet

Really?? A phone/wallet is a good idea? I enjoy carrying my wallet next to my face when talking on the phone. It really helps maximise the efficiency of little scrotes that want to steal my wallet or phone - now they don't have to make a choice!

Dock compatibility / headphone use???

Seems a limited review as it doesn't cover some major issues like the fact that some skins and cases make it harder to fit the phone into a dock and some make it near impossible to fit any but quite slim headphone jacks. These were the deal-breakers when I buy a case as charging and playing music from my dock accounts for a large part of the life of my iphone.

For the record - the Pixelskin case offered in Apple's case prgramme is great in this respect. Fits easily into a 3rd party (Altec Lansing) sound dock and the matt finish rubber has a high quality utilitarian look that won't make you miss the great looks of the uncased phone.

Also, as my free case took months to arrive I really didn't notice any reception issues with the antenna (unless I tried really hard to show off the Apple fail to mates). In the interest of balance, I'll say that I do have very dry small hands - so conductivity and covering the corner may be less of a problem. Much, much more of an issue was the dodgy proximity sensor which was horrendous but has now been fixed by the recent software update.

So despite a ropey start - with that horrible proximity sensor - the iphone 4 is the now best phone I've ever had by a long way.

Fairly Essential

Can't believe you didn't mention Exspect

By far and away the best cases I've run across in the wallet style are the Expect branded ones, which use a plastic clip around style to hold the phone securely whilst allowing you to use the touchscreen fully (the griffin wallet cases are maddening to type on, you can't get at the keys at the edges of the screen), whilst a soft leather cover and flip front protect it from damage, with a magnetic closure. They're only £15 at amazon, too.

(and no, I don't work for them, but both I and my wife have these cases)

One of the most important accessories for smart phones are cases, that protect the expensive little buggers from being damaged.

If there are lots of them, then it makes sense to do a roundup review of the 10 best.

There are bazillions of different iPhone cases, and much fewer cases for other phones, so it therefore makes sense to do a roundup of iPhone cases.

What in there is giving you trouble? Apart from a knee-jerk reaction that anything printed about Apple that isn't derogatory must be because the writer is a brainwashed apple zombie who cannot make reasoned judgements of their own? Or the apparent belief that because you don't want a case on your phone, anyone who wants a case on their phone and is interested in what the options are must be a freak.